“How long does it take for someone to fall out of love?’

That question was asked by his Ethics teacher one day and he remembered how that question got so many different responses from his classmates.

And he had his own answer about it. He was just preferred to keep it for himself.

***

“Don’t you think that sunbae is beyond handsome? He is charming, he is friendly, and he is a jokester. Everyone loves him!”

“Ah, that kid. How can I describe him? He is flawless.”

“He smiles and gives me good things to hear, even after he refused me.”

“None hated him. None does and none will.”

***

He saw the confused transfer student with a smirk appeared on his face. That transfer looked very lost in the classroom. She didn’t know where should she sit and she didn’t know what to say. And he found it very cute, in a good way.

“You look lost.” He couldn’t control himself not to ask.

She turned her head at him before nodding slightly, “I’m a transfer.”

“I see. And I’m an oldie here.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Baekhyun, by the way, and we are classmates.”

She smiled a very adorable smile of hers. “Eunji. Jung Eunji.”

“Jung Eunji..” He repeated. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Me too.” She pointed a chair and looked at him. “Do you think I can sit here?” Her voice was hesitant.

He shrugged. “Just sit wherever you want to, people don’t mind about the sitting placements. As long as they can get good sleep, they will be okay.”

She nodded and put her bag on a table, right beside his.

He introduced her to his friends. She kept nodding when his friends told her their names. Above all the classmates, he liked it best when she met Park Chanyeol, his best buddy, with a gigantic height and wide grin plastered on his face, he liked to grin from ear to ear tirelessly.

“I heard you’re on choir at your previous school.” He said one day.

“Well, I sing a bit.”

“Really? Can you sing a line for me?”

She shook her head. “I’m not that good. Trust me, you won’t like it.”

He pouted. “Just in case.. I’m on the choir. You can come and give it a try. It will be so nice if we both are in same extracurricular course.”

She smiled. “You’re a singer.”

“Kinda.”

“Can you sing me a line or two?”

He laughed. “You didn’t want to sing for me. Why should I do that?”

But the way she stared at him, like a lost puppy, made him finally gave in. He thought for a song and decided to sing a line of SNSD’s ‘I Got a Boy’ with his suave moves.

That made her bursting in a good laughter.

And he wanted to make her laugh a bit more often.

“Are you playing it?”

He turned around only to find she walked closer to approach him. He nodded. “I know some tunes.”

“Really? Whoa, Byun Baekhyun, you’re such perfection! You can sing, you can play the piano, you are handsome, and you’re friendly. I bet you have no antis out there.”

He chuckled. “Thank you for the praise.”

“You’re so much welcome.”

He watched her as she played it. “Isn’t this Do?”

He shook his head. “This is Do.” He moved her finger to another key. “That is Fa.”

“It’s a Do. I’m not that dumb.” She forced.

“It’s Fa.” He replied.

“Do.”

“Fa.”

“Do.”

“Fa.”

“Okay, it’s Fa. Happy?” Her voice was annoyed, but that somehow made Baekhyun grinned widely. He wanted to see whether this girl could make him grinning even more.

“Do you bring umbrella? It’s so dark. I think it will be rain.” He said when he looked up at the dark grey sky out of the glass window.

She shook her head. “I don’t. The sun was shining so bright this morning.”

“It’s global warming effect. The weather becomes so moody.” He joked.

And he was right. After the self-study class ended, the rain started to pour heavily. They stared at each other and shook their heads. “This is useless.” He took off his hoodie and handed it to her. “Wear this. You’ll get sick.”

She frowned. “You will get sick too. It’s okay. I can run.”

He held her arm and put it right on her head. “Just listen to me, won’t you? If you’re sick, I won’t be happy. If you’re okay, then I’ll be too.”

She looked at him for a while before finally nodded.

“Let’s go.” He held her hand and they ran into the pouring rain.

Best day of his life.

It was the middle of night when his phone vibrated for the nth time. If this was somebody else, he would curse at them and tell them about manners. But it was her. And there was something that pushed him to take the phone call.

“Hello?”

“Baekhyun… Where are you?”

He jumped out of his bed as he heard she was sobbing. “Where are you? What happened? Are you okay? Is there something wrong?”

Another sob. “I’m at the bus stop near our school. Can you–”

“I’ll be there in 10. Wait for me. Do you hear me, Eunji? Wait for me.”

Baekhyun rushed to the bus stop as quick as he could. He didn’t get time to change his clothes, so he had to feel satisfied when he was realized he was only wearing baggy pants and sleeve T-shirt. In conclusion, he was a mess to meet a girl.

He panted when he arrived at the bus stop. His steps went slower as he saw a girl was sobbing with her hands covered the face. He gulped, trying to make the best scenario after seeing what happened to her.

“Eunji?”

She uncovered her hands and Baekhyun gaped. He could see a hand printed on her left cheek. He sat right beside her and pulled her into a hug. Damn manner, he thought. This girl was obviously needed something better than relaxing words.

“My parents…”

“It’s okay..”

“My father blamed me.. He said I was at fault.. He said I was the reason my mother filed a divorce.. I was..” She sobbed, discontinuing her words.

He rested his head on his chin and said, “It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here. Stop crying. Please stop crying. Your tears are worth something much better than this.”

It took her for few minutes before her shoulders weren’t stiff anymore.

“I’m here, okay. I’m here.”

Baekhyun munched his bread ruthlessly, as he saw her was chatting with a senior, Kim Junmyeon. Chanyeol was right beside him, only shaking his head and humming.

“Shut up, your voice makes my ears bleeding.” He groaned.

Chanyeol blinked. “Yah, if you don’t like her to talk with Junmyeon hyung, you can confess to her.”

He stopped munching. “What?”

“Come on, Baekhyun, admit it, you’re jealous. It’s obvious. The more you try to deny, the more it tells the truth. You’re jealous seeing her having a good time with another guy. Don’t be such a sissy, Baek, just go and confess. I’m sure she has the same feeling as you.”

And then he followed his best friend’s advice.

He called her to talk at the back yard with the flushed cheeks of his, made her confused and asked whether he was feeling okay or not.

“I like you.”

She was startled with his confession.

“I love you.”

She gaped.

“I love you and I want to protect you. I love you and I want to make you happy every day. I want to be the reason you smile in the morning, and the dreams in your nights. It may seem cheesy or stupid, but I’m serious. I love you. Can I be your boyfriend?”

She nodded.

He smiled and hugged her tightly. When he let go, she asked him how much he loved her. the answer came a second later, “I love you, it’s the only thing matters. I will fight for you again and again, until you’re feeling sick with me.” along with his mischievous smile.

And she was the reason why suddenly all love songs made sense.

***

He was bored with these routines. He met her in the morning, talked about everything, took her home, and went home. Then he sent her messages with the funny stickers, and maybe if he got time, he would spend hours to talk about stupid things with her.

He didn’t know why but her smile seemed boring. He saw it almost every day. He had her smile on the wallpaper of his phone. He had it inside his wallet. He had it on his table desk, captured on the photo frame.

He couldn’t produce any funny jokes anymore. It seemed like he lost his fun sense. It seemed like he was drained of happiness by standing beside her.

He didn’t find it comfortable anymore, by being with her. He used to hug her every time, even when she didn’t ask for it. He used to like the smell of her perfume, soft and soothing. He used to enjoy every second, by being side to side with her.

But it seemed not the same anymore. He found himself being awkward when she walked to hug him. He quickly tried to find an excuse and pat her back, and also tried hard to smile, acting as if everything was okay.

He didn’t find love songs nice to hear anymore. He now preferred the ballad song. His favorite? The Way to Break Up by Super Junior’s Kyuhyun.

She would see him differently every time he sang that song with playing the piano. The stare was judging, he could tell that much.

He found himself being a jerk when he left his girlfriend alone in pouring rain, using the hoodie for himself, with eyes b in tears. He took a quick look on her, but instead of stopping, he fastened his steps, trying to run away from the guilt growing inside.

He rejected all the phone calls he received in the middle of night. Being pissed as hell, he took out the battery and went back to sleep.

“I’m sorry but I can’t continue doing this anymore. Let’s end this.”

She let out a faint smile, seemed like she knew before he said anything.

“You’re an amazing girl. You deserve someone better than me. I’m going, okay? I’ll see you again.” He patted her arm and walked out of their classroom.

Somehow, he could hear a soft sob. A sob he suddenly missed to hear lately.

And he was breathless since that.

***

Chanyeol shook his head, seeing his best friend, only sitting on his bed with knees wrapped by his arms. “You’re regretting this, are you?” He asked.

“I was a jerk. She doesn’t deserve a jerk. She needs someone to take care of her heart.”

“You did a good job back then. What changed?”

“I don’t know..” He looked at his phone. His wallpaper remained the same.

“I heard she was a wreck after that break up. It went that bad, huh?” Chanyeol looked at his best friend.

“I don’t know.. Yah, Chanyeol, why does it so hurt?” He touched his chest. “I shouldn’t feel this, don’t you think?”

He smirked. “Do you still love her?”

“I never stopped.” It was an honest answer.

“Then fight for her again.”

“Do you think I’ll have the chance?”

“Just like you, she never stopped.”

***

He chose the best red roses out of others with proud smile on his face. He already planned what he would do later. He would go to her house and asked her to be back together. Even if later he needed to gain her trust, he wouldn’t mind. He was ready and well prepared.

He was looking down at his roses with wild imaginations appeared on his mind.

Until he heard the noise.

The body lied on the ground with blood spattered everywhere. He could hear people were screaming. He could hear the sound of siren. He could see Chanyeol was looking at him, asking him to stay awake. But he suddenly felt so sleepy. He slowly closed his eyes after whispering, “Tell her I’ll wait for her on a nice summer breeze.”

He was late to avoid. He was late to stop.

He was late at again.

a/n

Baekhyun's point of view and a continuation of Again.

Anyway, happy reading!